One thousand, ninety five days
by sweetandsoursunshine
Summary: Rhydian has waited long enough. But when he does find Maddy, can their love survive the wolves who want revenge on Alric? What about Jana and her new baby sister? Maddian, rated T for some violence and slightly scary scenes
1. Chapter 1

Rhydian's P.O.V.

Three years have gone since she left me.

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Her huge brown eyes boring up into mine, those hot tears burning my red cheeks. I remember that howl goodbye, how I watched until her sleek form slowly vanished into the moors. When I got home that day, I sat on my bed all night without moving. Just staring into the distance, not really seeing anything. By the time morning came, I didn't even know who I was anymore. It felt like everything I'd had, everything I'd loved, had come and gone with her.

The only thing that got me through that first day was the quiet determination running through my mind that I was going to find her, I was going to get her back. And now, AS levels over and with the whole summer ahead of me, the day has finally come.

The bright dawn sunlight shines through my window as I dress and run my fingers through my hair, feeling the warm rays caress my skin. It's the first day of the holidays, and I've already told the Vaughns that I'm leaving to do work experience in France for the whole summer-they've already left two days ago to go camping-so I have three months to find her, three months until I can bring her back here to Stoneybridge, back where she belongs. I've arranged to meet Shannon and Tom at the edge of the forest at 7, so I quickly gulp down some raw bacon from the fridge before grabbing my trainers and rushing out the front door.

I gaze around at the comfy stone cottages of Stoneybridge as I run to the forest. All the houses here look somehow as if they're leaning into each other, built so that they depend on their neighbours to stand upright. I kind of like it, it makes this place really feel like a home. I wonder subconsciously if I will ever return here. Although my plan is to find Maddy and bring her back, who knows if I'll really be able to do that? Maybe I won't find her for years. And if I do, what if she doesn't want to come back? If that's so, then I'll just have to stay in the wild pack with her. I haven't even begun to entertain the thought that she won't want me anymore. If I think like that, then what's the point of even living?

"Rhydian!" I raise my head to see Tom and Shan standing at the edge of the forest, calling my name. I jog up and grin at them.

"You ready, mate?" Tom asks casually.

"Ah, as ready as I'll ever be. Why, you gonna miss me, Tom?"

"Who would miss a dog like you?" he laughs. Then punches my shoulder playfully. "Seriously Rhydian. I want you to find Maddy and bring her back to Stoneybridge, alright? No excuses this time. You promised all of us."

"Yeah Rhydian. You'd better find her, or you'll have to face the wrath of _us_rimmed glasses.

"Ooh, I'm scared," I laugh. Shannon rolls her eyes.

"Look, take care, alright Rhydian? It's dangerous out there, with Alric and the wilds…"

"Like you would know," I mutter. "I'm the one that nearly gets killed, every time!"

"Stop being so dramatic." She sighs. "If you do find Maddy…can you give her this from me?" She holds out a small notebook, tightly bound in a thick red ribbon. "And don't you dare peek at it."

"Ah, you gone all sentimental, Shan?"

"She's me best friend, I want her to know I'm still thinking of her!" Shannon exclaims. She smiles at me. "Well, I wish you luck on your travels, Rhydian Morris."

"And I wish you luck on your work experience at Science magazine, Shannon Kelly. You too Tom, with…sorry, what were you doing again?"

"Ja-Mai-Ca!" Tom chants. Oh, how could I forget? I've only been reminded every day for the past six months.

"Bye, Rhydian." Shannon hugs me, and Tom gives me a man-hug. "See you after summer."

"See you, pack members." Then we all howl. It's kind of become a thing now, after Maddy left.

And then I set off. A few hundred yards into the deep green forest I turn back and wave, the distant figures of my two best friends silhouetted against the bright morning sun. I'm going to find Maddy.


	2. Chapter 2

Maddy's P.O.V.

I think I loved him too much.

Is that possible? Loving someone so badly that when you lose them, you break? I hadn't thought it was, but then again, I hadn't ever been in love, had I? Now I'm not so sure.

I still think of him too much, that I know for certain. I think of all of them, my pack, how happy we'd been until _she_ came along. It's not just them that I miss. It's my whole life back there, my normal, boring, everyday human life, a life I'd loved. If we can ever come out of hiding, will I be able to return to that life? Something tells me not. Back home, life will have carried on without me; everyone will be doing A-Levels and planning their future, while I'm stuck here, doing the same thing I've done every day for the three years since I was forced to leave my home. There's no going back to the way things used to be. Maybe that's what hurts the most.

I keep my eye on my prey, a medium-sized brown rabbit crouching in the underbrush. It twitches its nose, hopping around a bit before beginning to pull on some plants with its long front teeth. Its burrow must be nearby; maybe there's more of them. And yeah, I know that's a really terrible thing to think, especially since three years ago I really liked rabbits, but it's what I've got to think like these days in order to survive.

A bright shaft of sunlight falls on the rabbit, highlighting my dinner. I keep my breath slow and quiet as I anticipate its next move. Then, before it has time to even flop over to the next plant, I pounce. Mid-air, my body transforms and I feel the wind rush through my skin before I land on the ground on four paws.

I briskly kill the rabbit, snapping its head back with my front paws in the way Jana taught me all those years ago. Its dead in a second, hanging limply from my jaws. I decide to let the other bunnies live for a few more days and slowly begin to pad back to camp.

The lazy summer breeze sends tingles through my fur as I weave my way through the conifers. Moss and lichen cling to the trees and brightly coloured mushrooms climb up the damp, textured bark. High up in the sky the dawn sun shines brightly, and I find myself wondering, yet again, what he's doing right now.

We swore the last time we met that we'd find each other. No matter what, and I meant it. I still do mean it. I'm just…not sure how much longer I can keep meaning it before I give up hope forever.

"Maddy!" I turn around to find Jana running up to me, her long crimson curls flying behind her as she leaps deftly over a fallen log. I change back to human form as she catches up to me with huge, shining eyes. "Guess what!"

"What?" I ask, curious at her enthusiastic face.

"I just used Eolas Maddy, and I saw something _very_ exciting." She hops about a bit, tingling with excitement. "You wanna know what it is?"

My heart immediately begins to pound faster. Could she have seen…him? I stare at her, nodding, hardly daring to breathe in case I miss the words she says.

"My dad's coming here Maddy, and he's got a new cub!" She pauses ecstatically, waiting for my reaction. I stare at her face before exclaiming loudly "O-Oh, that's great Jana! That's really good! They're coming here?"

She nods and starts to chatter happily, and I make the appropriate noises of interest as I feel my heart slowly sink back to its normal pace. I feel the familiar sadness weight my stomach. That's about the hundredth time in three years that I've got my hopes up, all for nothing. I take a deep breath and zone back in to Jana's babble.

"Wait-so Alric's coming here? I thought he was exiled. Will the pack even let him visit?"

"That's why it's a secret." Jana stops abruptly and whirls around, holding my shoulders. "You have to promise not to tell anyone." She looks earnestly into my eyes. "Do you promise, Maddy?"

"Yeah, of course. That's what friends are for!" I grin and playfully shove her backwards. "Come on, I'll race you back to camp!" And grabbing my rabbit, I make a run for it.


	3. Chapter 3

Rhydian's P.O.V.

It's late afternoon on the third day when I finally stop running. My throat is parched and I collapse onto some pebbles by the stream, hungrily lapping up the cool water. In the rippling shadows my sandy fur appears to shimmer, not quite there, like a mirage. My paws are bleeding into the water after days of pounding through thorns and rocks, and I find myself falling onto the sandy riverbank and falling asleep. I dream of her, of course. Nearly all my dreams have been about her ever since she left.

In this dream, we're back in that school trip to the castle, and I'm running free through the lime kilns with her, on the night of her first transformation. I can feel the clear starlight on my fur, feel the pull of the moon as we race among the rocks. I feel more free than I ever have before, finally able to let go of all the pain and disappointment of the countless foster parents, the shock of thinking I was the only werewolf in the world, the hostility of everyone as I entered their class room.

When I wake up, I'm still smiling.

That is, until I look up and across the river-and find a man there staring at me.

He limply holds a fishing rod in his chubby hands, his bulging eyes so huge they might possibly pop out of his head at any given second. His terrified gaze is fixed on me and he trembles on the spot, quivering in fear. As I slowly sit up, he stumbles backwards clumsily and gives out a tiny, strangely feminine whimper.

That's it, I can't resist. I leap up onto all fours and launch forward, barking to my heart's content. The man screams as if he was a five year old watching a horror film and scarpers into the trees, yelling crazily to his friend who is presumably behind him. I run back into the forest too, before I actually kill myself laughing. I truly know the meaning of ROFL now.

As I laugh on the forest floor, unconsciously shifting back into human form, I find myself thinking yet again of Maddy. How much she would've scolded me if she was here, told me that he's only an innocent man and that I'm being unfair. Then I would manage to make some stupid comment and she'd give in and admit that it was kind of funny after all. And then she'd probably slap my chest and give herself a head start on a race which she hadn't told me the finishing line to…

I'm definitely out of my head now, because everything that happens these days just makes me think of her. That's why I know I have to find her. Otherwise I'm pretty sure I'll go properly crazy-either that or I'll become an Eolas addict, constantly watching to see what she's up to. And to be perfectly honest, I'd rather go with the first option. Makes me look less like an obsessed stalker.

It turns dark as I set off again in the direction of Wales. I must be nearly there now, because the moors of Stoneybridge have gradually turned into heath land, and heath land is all the rage in Wales right now. I vaguely remember passing some place that looked like this when I was chased out of the pack by Alric, but then again everything in Wales looks the same (Jana would probably kill me for saying that). I decide to rest for the night and then set off again at dawn break, when I can hopefully navigate better. I mean, I don't want to be running into some other pack's territory, do I?

I'm just settling down into a bundle of heather, when I hear the noise.

**Sorry this is short! Thankyou for my 2 reviews! Will hopefully update soon! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Maddy's P.O.V.

It's the dead of night.

The forest is silent, me and Jana's creeping footsteps on the undergrowth the only sound to disturb the sleeping beasts of the shadows. The moon looms huge and bright, just a night away until a full moon, and clusters of stars stare down at us from the black sky. Occasionally we see the sharp silhouettes of bats flit across the tree line, but apart from that the forest really does seem to be dead, or at least hibernating. At this time you normally hear the sounds of skittering insects and owls, but tonight everything seems to be holding its breath, waiting.

Waiting, but for what?

"Maddy." Jana's stopped infront of me, and the soft tread of our footsteps dissolves into the shadows once more. "I'm going to use Eolas again. He must be near now."

"OK." I've agreed to come with Jana to meet Alric and the new cub, despite the fact that the last time we met he nearly strangled me to death. Everyone loves a baby, right? That's why we've crept away from camp at midnight, careful not to wake the other sleeping wolves. If anyone found out where we were, they'd no doubt accuse us of being traitors and exile us from the pack, like they did to Rhydian. I've already lost one home, and I'm not keen on losing another. Besides, if Rhydian does come looking for me, how would he find me if I've been chased out of the wild pack?

I watch Jana as she slowly lowers to a crouch and raises her head to the sky. Her normally hazel eyes flash a brilliant yellow-green in the moonlight and her long scarlet hair falls behind her as she gazes up into the stars. Her pupils flicker with the rush of Eolas, and I see a smile of glee flash across her face-before she suddenly gasps and her jaw drops.

"NO!" Jana cries, and leaps up, grabbing my arm.

"What? What is it?" I ask, gripping her so she looks at me. Her eyes move wildly in shock.

"No…" she mutters repeatedly under her breath.

"Jana." I try and get her attention, but to no avail. "JANA!" I yell at last. She finally looks up at me, her still-yellow eyes wide in anguish.

"He's dying Maddy. He-he's been attacked," she stutters.

"What? Where is he? Is the cub OK?"

"I don't know!" She's a mess, her face frozen in panic. I quickly sit her down on a tree stump and force her to look into my eyes.

"Look, it'll be OK. We'll get to him. Let me look for him."

She nods limply. I crouch down and spread one hand out firmly onto the soft ground. I haven't used Eolas since the day I ran away from home, back when Rhydian and my parents had to come and rescue me, but I can still remember the rush, the feeling of flying. As I bend my head back to look up into the sky I feel the tingling of all my cells, and I can see everything. I see the trees surrounding us, the moors in the distance, the heath land far away which leads to Stoneybridge. And there, is Alric-he's lying brokenly on the ground, breathing raggedly, one hand clutching his side as blood seeps through the fabric of his clothes onto the purple heather. There's no sign of the cub, or anyone else.

I stand up, breaking out of Eolas, and turn to Jana. "He's in the heath land on the edge of the border of Wales. Let's run. We might be able to get there before dawn break."

"He's dying though, isn't he Maddy? This is all my fault!" Jana cries.

"No, it's not! Look, we have to go NOW, he might still have a chance if we can get there in time." To my surprise, I'm actually concerned for the man who once tried to kill me. I drag Jana up to stand. "Hurry up! Let's go, Jana!"

I feel like a teacher as I force her to transform and then run into the lead, checking behind to make sure she's following me. But as we race through the dark forest, there's only one thing on my mind.

Where's the cub?

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! I will update again soon! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I have to admit I kind of scared myself writing this chapter...**

Rhydian's P.O.V.

What. Was. That.

The noise makes me nearly jump out of my skin. It's pathetic, a tiny whimper of hopelessness and desperation, like a wounded animal or a starving person. I don't know what it is about it, but it chills me to the core.

I slowly sit up, extending my head above the dense scrub. I scan the land around me, my eyes turning yellow in the dark, but all I can see in every direction is heath land, bushes and trees. The night has fallen silent again, and I'm almost on my way to believing that I imagined the noise, when it comes again.

I whip around, standing. To the left of me looms the forest, strangely menacing in the pitch black of night. I wait a few seconds, squinting into the depths of the trees, until the whimpering sound returns, definitely from somewhere inside there. It's louder this time, almost as if it knows I've heard it, but it's just as desperate, just as anguished.

I steel myself and cautiously set off towards the edges of the forest a few hundred yards away. A half-hearted mist surrounds it, like it's trying hard to be scary and very nearly succeeding. Come on Rhydian Morris, you, scared of a few trees? But as I step closer, the mist engulfs me, and I begin to panic. I can hardly see a metre in front of me, and my feet begin to snag on the ragged heather at my ankles. Why the heck is there mist at this time of year? Is Wales determined to be constantly stuck in winter or something?

The noise comes again, and it's much closer this time. My heart beat plummets and I have to try hard to resist transforming. I turn around frantically. Where's the noise? Calm down Rhydian. Calm down Rhydian. Calm-fricking-down!

The branches reach out of the mist towards me, grasping, snagging against my skin, fingers of menace as cold as death. I stumble back into nowhere and find myself sprawled on the ground. My legs are tangled in thorny bushes and I grip the floor manically. My heart pounds out of my chest, overwhelming everything. Then there's screaming in my ears and all of a sudden I'm screaming too. What? What is it? What the heck…?

My head flips around. And I see it. Lying right next to my left ear. It's entangled in twigs and heather and for a second I think it's a bleeding doll, like from a horror movie. Then it opens its eyes and yells at me.

It's a baby.

I stop panicking and feel my heart rate slowly resume to normal. Then all I can do is _stare. _It's a little girl in a white dress, stained with blood. Her skin is ghostly pale in the moonlight but her ears are strangely elfin, pricked. She cries and cries and thrashes about, looking up at me pitifully with…with…

Alric's eyes.

I gasp, but manage to calm down and carefully untangle the baby from the heather. She's chubby, but freezing cold, and she grips onto me desperately, still bawling her little head off. A thin covering of fawny hair adorns her soft head and her cheeks are red with tears. I hold her closely and pat her back, but I have no idea what to do next. I've never even held a baby before. Let alone an abandoned one in a forest at night who's covered in blood.

I take off out of the woods, running and tripping and running and tripping until I'm back out in the open, under the silver light of the moon. I gradually stop shaking and collapse against a lone, wind-stunted tree in relief, jiggling the baby until her throat goes dry from crying and those huge hazel eyes stare up at me reproachfully. I exhale my fear and watch the little girl. She watches me back, following my every move, with eyes the same as Alric's and Jana's. But how is that possible? Is she really a Wolfblood? Why has she been left in the forest alone?...

Then the though hits me. _I _was left in the forest alone. This little girl, she's just like me.

I sit her on my lap and pull a few funny faces at her until a hint of a smile plays on her face. All of a sudden, I feel kind of protective. This could've been me seventeen years ago. She grabs my face with her little fat hands and makes an attempt to stand up-and that's when I realise, she's not injured at all.

But if _she's _not injured, then-

That's someone else's blood.

**Thankyou for your reviews! Sorry I will probably not update for a few days, I really should get around to revising...:p**


	6. Chapter 6

Maddy's P.O.V.

We race through the forest, side by side, panting heavily. My lungs feel like they're about to burst and my heart pounds through my whole body. I've never run this fast in my life, and for what? For Alric to try to kill me again? For me and Jana to watch him die? For the pack to wake up and find us missing, use Eolas, see where we are and then exile us forever?

I shake my head to rid myself of the thought. If we were exiled, where would we go? Me and Jana, probably with my parents, forced to leave yet another home. For the first time in my life I realise what it must feel like to be Rhydian-moving from home to home, having to give up everything each time, never really fitting in anywhere.

Jana whimpers as she runs, and it breaks my heart. I've never seen her cry before; she's normally so bouncy, so to see her so upset is unnerving. Over the three years I've been here we've become best friends, seeing as it's basically just me and her who are the same age in the pack, although I still think about Shan and Tom a lot, wondering what they're up to. But in fact, life in the wild isn't half as bad as I thought it would be. Eating meat for every meal, being free to run wherever you want, and not having to get up on non-moon days is amazing, and not having Mr Jeffries on your case whenever you're late (Which for me equals most of the time) is sure fun. And the things that I actually miss aren't the things I was expecting to. I mean, hot showers and hair straighteners barely cross my mind. It's more: I miss running to school in the morning and seeing Bernie open up the café to put out the little chairs. I miss pretending to listen to Shan as she drones on and on about Galileo etc, etc, etc. I miss arguing with Rhydian about something completely unimportant and uninteresting, just arguing for the sake of it…

The sun slowly peaks over the hill tops as we bound into heath land. The thick scrub is prickly on my paws after the miles of leafy forest floor, but I can sense we're nearly there now and we unconsciously begin running faster. The dawn light sheds warmth onto my fur, and I close my eyes for a second in pleasure. When I open them again, I find Jana's stopped.

I turn around to see her transform back into human form. I do the same. "What is it?"

"I need to use Eolas…just to check. If he's still…" She trails off and stares at the floor. "I don't want to get there expecting something which might not happen."

I nod slowly. "I understand." I'm just about to look around for something to eat, when she says suddenly "Wait. Can…can you check for me?"

I look at her in surprise.

"If he is dead, I just…want you to see it first. Or I might start screaming." Her eyes are fixed nervously on the heather at our feet.

"Well yeah, of course. If that's what you want." She nods and I kneel down onto the floor. As I place my palm firmly on to the ground, I lean my head back and skim my gaze over the landscape. Amongst the clumps of bushes and heather I pick out Alric, sprawled on the cold ground just as before, but he's not dead yet-his chest gently rises and falls as he breathes. To my surprise, I actually feel relieved and I'm just about to turn away to tell Jana the good news, when something else catches my attention.

Two figures, about a thousand yards away from Alric. At first I think the smaller one is a doll, like a toy little kids cart around in pretend buggies. But then I see it breathing, very softly. It's a baby girl in a white dress and she's sleeping, cradled tightly in the arms of-of-

I stop breathing.

She's cradled in the arms of Rhydian Morris.

**Sorry. This chapter is really bad. But next chapter there will be romance! Thankyou for all your reviews, you are all amazing!**


	7. Chapter 7

Rhydian's P.O.V.

It's warm when I wake.

The baby, who's been sleeping (and drooling) contentedly nestled in my arms all night starts crying at the first sign of dawn. She's obviously hungry. And I, with my advanced knowledge of babies (ha!) have precisely no idea what she'd eat, so I decide to head to a water source first and just go from there.

I yawn, standing up, and try patting the little girl's back in a (yes, I'll admit it) feeble attempt at getting her to shut the heck up. She just goes red in the face though, frowning at me angrily through her hot tears, with those bright hazel eyes which I swear are the same as Jana's. And when I take a long time to walk to the forest she becomes even more furious, and those grey-green irises narrow into a scary yellow. Yep, I definitely have a baby Wolfblood in my hands. How the _heck _did that happen?

As I pad through the trees, trying to shush the cub so she doesn't scare away all the food in the forest, I realise that the woods aren't nearly as scary in dawn light as they were last night. In fact, I feel kind of stupid for being such a scaredy cat. The light dappling through the oak leaves is beautiful as it falls onto the damp carpets of moss, projecting elaborate patterns over everything. My sharp hearing picks up (even through the sound of loud baby wailing) the sound of rushing water not far away, and I head in that direction, trying to conceal my need to THROW THIS SCREAMING BABY INTO A TREE.

We emerge into what looks like something out of a fairytale. It's a clearing, with soft, daisy-littered grass adorning the ground, ringed by a circle of towering oak trees. Wild roses in brilliant shades of velvety red and white climb up the shiny saplings of silver birches, and dazzling butterflies caught in shafts of sunlight flicker amongst tangles of sweet honeysuckle. Through the centre of the clearing is a dividing line: a bubbling stream, the water tinkling as it rushes over pebbles, like a ribbon of dancing fairies.

The sight makes even the cub shut up. We stand for a few seconds in awe-struck silence before thirst takes over and I first cup my hands into the stream so she can drink, then eagerly lap up water myself. It's the sweetest, freshest water I've ever tasted, and the cub soon cheers up as I place her in the shallows and she splashes about, gurgling happily.

I make a half-hearted attempt to scrub the blood out of her little white dress before giving up and wrapping her in my vest. Then I leave her there, keeping a close eye, as I wander off a few yards in search of breakfast. Soon enough in this summer paradise I find blackberries, and pound a handful on a rock until they resemble a dark blue mush. Then I feed it to the cub bit by bit, letting her bite it off my fingers.

The birds begin singing before long, and for a while I feel more relaxed than I have in a long time. Inevitably though, the panic rises again and I wonder what on earth I'm supposed to do with a baby wolf, in the middle of the Welsh wilderness, when I'm on a mission myself. How am I supposed to find Maddy with a cub slowing me down? And more importantly, who are the cub's parents? What if she really is related to Alric and Jana?

Then the thought hits me. What if the pack is nearby? What if the baby belongs to Jana or some other of her family members? But she was left alone, covered in blood, in the middle of the forest. That means whoever is her parent, is either dead or dying.

I leap up and grab the cub from whatever she's doing in the stream. We need to find her family, whoever they are.

I reluctantly leave the paradise clearing and begin to trace my footsteps back to where I found the baby last night. Everything looks different in daylight, but I eventually find the spot; the ground is bloodstained and I can see the thorns where I tripped over. And from there, I can see a trail leading back out on to the heather which is so trampled and bloody, it can only have been made by a person running for their life.

I sniff the air and can practically see the golden trail stretching out in front of me. Pushing the cub onto my hip, I set off to follow it.

Maddy's P.O.V.

My heart has stopped as I see him in Eolas. Rhydian. Rhydian Morris. He's _here._

I let go of the grass at my feet and turn back to Jana. "Alric's still alive", I tell her, seeing her face relax in relief. "And…"

"And what?"

I take a deep breath, and I can hardly believe the words myself as I say them. "The cub's alive too…with Rhydian."

Jana stares at me. Then she lets out a strange noise and dashes off into the heath land before I can blink, shouting back to me "Come on! Maybe we can save my dad! And maybe Rhydian's come to find you!"

I stand there in surprise for a second, watching her. Then my brain clicks into action and I race after her.

We find Alric at the same time he does.

Alric lies sprawled on the ground, in the same position as when I saw him in Eolas. He heaves raggedly and I can see the blood seeping out of his shirt, only partly concealed by his hand, which he clutches to his stomach. As me and Jana run up, his eyes flit open and stare at us bewilderedly for a moment, bright yellow. Then they focus on Jana in recognition and before I know it they're hugging, clinging on to each other as if they're never going to let go.

That's when I look up, and see him.

He stands there as still as I am and those deep-as-an-ocean eyes burn into mine. He stares at me incredulously, incomprehensively, as if he can't believe I'm actually here. I stare back, as if I never want to look away. His cheeks are flushed from running and his blond hair, so dark at the roots, is tousled by the wind. His face is leaner, and those blue eyes look older, so much older, but at once exactly the same.

Rhydian Morris breaks the silence and steps towards me. It's only then I notice the cub at his hip, but it doesn't seem to matter. Our gazes are still locked together, unflinching.

He opens his mouth to speak-

Which is when Alric lets out a blood-curdling scream.

**Thanks for reading! Will update soon! Btw anyone else notice Bernie on the Colmans shepherd pie advert?**


	8. Chapter 8

Rhydian's P.O.V.

His scream is the most terrifying thing I've ever heard.

My head snaps around. At first I'm confused because I see nothing different; Alric's still slumped on the ground with Jana crouched over him in concern. Then I see the direction of their heads, where they're both looking. Straight into the heart of the forest.

The sun's disappeared and we're on the brink of a storm. The forest is bathed in shadows. And amidst the heavy patterns of warning black and grey, are three pairs of eyes glaring out of the darkness…wolf eyes.

I almost flinch. It's been three years since I saw another wolf besides myself, but those eyes still make my skin crawl with anger and apprehension. I glance carefully back at Alric and see his eyes flicker wildly between the three wolves' shadows, wide with panic. Jana's frozen, her scarlet curls hanging limply onto her father's arm. I'm about to look at Maddy when she hisses something to me.

"We can't win," she breathes.

I see her point. Me, Maddy and Jana are no match for three evil-looking wolves who are already approaching, growling, especially when we have a baby with us-

We all seem to remember the baby at the same time and everyone's heads whip around to stare at her in my arms. The little girl's began to whimper slightly, with those huge flecked eyes fixed on the wolves. I look to Maddy in panic. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Run." Jana answers me instead, her voice unsteady but firm. "Take the cub and _run, _Rhydian. Me and Maddy will hold them off."

"No, I'm not leaving you two-"

"Do what she says! We can't let them kill a baby!" Maddy hisses.

"And you expect me to let them kill you?" I shoot back. Her big brown eyes flit down I pain.

We remain standing there as the wolves gradually get closer and closer. They're almost out of the forest when Alric croaks "Please."

I turn to see his eyes locked on me. "Please don't let her die," he chokes out, his voice strangled with blood. "I've already lost Jana. Don't let me lose Arianwen."

Arianwen? I finally know the little cub's name. Arianwen, pure white, like snow, like her little blood-stained dress. What does he mean, he's already lost Jana? Because he exiled her and then left himself? I look and see Jana's eyes turn down in sadness. Then I turn back to the cub, who gazes up at me with those same eyes, and take a deep breath, because I know now what I have to do.

"Take her, Jana."

Jana glances up at me. "What-"

"Take her," I insist, and push the baby into her arms. Arianwen protests slightly, but then nestles into her elder sister's shoulder. "Now run," I whisper.

Jana stares at me, the fear and loneliness, and then the hope, hovering in her eyes. She looks over at Maddy, who nods in acceptance. And finally she looks back to her father, as the wolves get ever closer.

"Goodbye Jana," Alric murmurs, and he smiles, as if the words are a long-forgotten dream. "Goodbye Arianwen." The tears shine in his eyes and are caught there for a split second in a sudden burst of sunlight, before falling softly like rain onto the cold ground. Then those hazel irises glaze over, and he's dead.

We're frozen in shock for a minute. Until the alpha wolf growls and I yell at Jana "Go NOW!"

As soon as she runs, the wolves begin to pounce.

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long! Revision is boring :p Please read and review, next chapter will be longer and with actual romance in it! BUt will probs be a while till I update because I have an exam next wednesday, coursework deadline and biology test :( BUt I'll try!**


	9. Chapter 9

Rhydian's P.O.V.

I barely have time to transform before the wolf lunges at me.

I'm whacked to the ground as he slams onto me full on, knocking all the breath I have straight out of my lungs. He falls on top of me, a weight like ten bricks, right on my stomach, pushing any remaining efforts at gasping for air right out of the window. All I can do is scramble away, rolling onto the thorny heather as I try desperately to catch my breath. Then I struggle up back onto all fours to find him circling me, menacingly.

His eyes bore straight into mine, glowing half-suns that sting with anger. We slowly walk around each other, never losing eye contact, as I assess my opponent. The wolf's about as large as the alpha, but I can tell he's not because even under his thick layers of mustard fur and a white underbelly, I can still see his bones jutting out like a malnourished street cat. He's scrawny; maybe even middle-aged. I snarl at him angrily. Although he's undoubtedly a dead weight despite his skinniness, I can tell I'm fitter than him-he's already panting from the effort of throwing himself onto me.

From the corner of my eye, I see Maddy. She's also transformed, into the sleek chocolate-brown wolf who's form I've dreamed of for so long, but she's only snarling at one other wolf.

Where the heck is the alpha-

A weight like a barrel of rocks knocks me to the floor. Sharp teeth dive into my flesh at the back of my neck and sink in deep, causing me to yelp in agony. I manage to twist around to face the alpha head on, and blindly lash out at his face. The stinging pain of teeth in my neck stops as the wolf barks, my claws having scraped warm blood from his muzzle. I take my chance, lunging my weight forward until I'm on top of him, and press my claws into his body, pinning him to the ground.

Of course I've forgotten about the other wolf.

I'm dragged backwards by the scrape of my neck, and teeth delve into my stomach. Suddenly both wolves are above me, their weights unrelentless. My stomach feels as if it's being ripped to shreds and I dare not look at it in case I see my insides being dragged out. Hot, stinking breath pounds into my face as the wolves pin me onto the heather, their identical golden eyes burning with hatred.

If this is it, I decide, I want my last image to be of her, the girl I've missed for far too long. I turn my head, searching for Maddy. But all I see to my right is the limp body of the she-wolf she'd been fighting, lying motionless on the ground.

And then one of the wolves is wrenched off me before I can blink. And I see her; panting, blood stained, but those shining eyes staring straight into mine as she sinks her teeth into the wolf's fur. _Thanks, _I say with my eyes.

_Anytime._

I turn back to the alpha and with a sudden surge of nervous energy just from looking into Maddy's eyes, I find the strength to push myself back onto my paws. We face each other, barking obscenities, snarling so the ugly sounds echo off the trees near us. As soon as I've managed to catch my breath, I pounce.

He meets me mid-air and we smash against each other, glass meets glass, pure muscle against bone. But I'm on top. We slam to the ground and I hear the sickening crunch of the alpha's jaw bone as it's pulverised onto the ground, my dead weight crushing him.

I punch and bite and kick with every ounce of my will power, my claws unsheathed, my teeth bared, and when I pause for breath, the alpha's gone limp.

I stop and stare in disbelief.

And suddenly realise how silent it is on the plain.

I whip up and stagger off the alpha's still body. Around me lie four other motionless bodies: Alric's, the she-wolf's, the other male wolf, and then, crumpled against the blood soaked heather, sprawled on the ground like a discarded doll, is the girl I loved.

No.

I struggle my way through the thorns to get to her, just to reach her after all this time. Maddy somehow transformed before she fell, and she lies amongst the cruel purple flowers like a broken toy, angry smears of blood ruining the smooth tan of her skin. Her limbs are twisted roughly, like a child tries to make a Barbie doll go swimming. Her dark hair is clumped together with dry blood and falls over her face, as if it's a curtain trying to mask a dead body.

I stagger up to the one girl I'd give up everything for, even my own life, in a heartbeat. I nuzzle my head into her neck and lick her face, desperately. When she doesn't move, I lower my head to her chest to find a pathetic heartbeat still there, but only just-it's like the tiny flutter of a newly hatched butterfly's wings.

I transform back into human form and feel the wounds tearing at my stomach and neck afresh, but I couldn't care less. I brush the hair off Maddy's flushed cheeks and cup her tiny face in my hands. She's still warm, blood is still pulsing through those delicate veins. Her eyes are softly closed, but her lips are ajar: as if she's about to tell me a fairytale.

"Maddy?" I whisper, and I don't even realise I'm crying until the tears catch in my throat. "Maddy?" I try again, and my salty tears slide onto her face, catching on an open scar which rips across her lip. She remains completely still, barely breathing, a half-fledged, with half her grip on this fragile thing we call life, the other slowly letting go.

"No." Please, no. I've already lost her for three years. She can't leave me now, not when we've only just found each other again. "_Please," _I breathe.

It's the same word, the same tone _she _used, all those years ago, when she begged me to come to the wild with her. But I didn't. I didn't realise what I was letting go of. I didn't go, and I should have done.

Because now I'm going to lose Maddy Smith forever.

**Oooh, cliffhanger! Sorry this chapter took me so long! I had a geography exam today but I am taking a break from revision now and writing this new chapter, yay :) Warning though, I will probably not update much until the 2nd of June which is when my exams finish, sorry :p But then I will be free to update much more often XD**

**PLEASE REVIEW they make me happy :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Maddy's P.O.V.

I'm a little girl again and I'm running through the fields.

The green, green grass is bejewelled with daisies, and cornflowers as blue as a twilight sky brush my bare knees. My hair is long and strewn with flowers, my skin is as flawless as a new-born's. I'm wearing a white dress which flies in the cool summer breeze. The sun smiles down at me as I pause to pick daisies, making a fragile crown, declaring myself the fairy queen.

At the end of the field is a wooden fence, with a neat latticed gate in the middle, entwined with roses. Beyond that gate I see nothing but the sky, a brilliant perfect blue, as clear as the ocean.

I know that beyond that gate is where I'm meant to go. And of course I'm curious, but I feel like I'm waiting for something, biding my time. I don't want to go through just yet. So instead I sit in the fresh warm grass which tickles my skin and fiddle with the flowers in my hair.

A wolf.

I look up and see him there. As strong as ever, a pelt the shade of sand flecked with nutmeg, and eyes as golden as liquid sunlight. He's so familiar, so _right, _that my breath catches in my throat. But what is he doing here? He's not meant to be here; he belongs to another life, another time.

I watch as he bounds up towards me and then stops a few inches before me, transforming into human form. It's Rhydian, but he looks about a thousand days younger since I'd seen him in the fight; eyes innocent but not completely masking the pain. His blonde hair sparkles in the light but his face is serious, a veil of emotions: pain, fear, shock, anger, desperation…love.

"What are you doing here?" I manage to whisper, feeling the words latch in my throat. "This place isn't meant for you, not yet."

"It's not meant for you either." His voice is soft and husky, on the verge of breaking. He sits slowly opposite me and reaches for my cheek. "Don't die, Maddy."

I shake my head, smiling, although I feel like crying. "It's OK." Because as absurd as it seems, I know it will be. But to my surprise his face contorts into pain.

"It's not OK. You want to know what my life was like before you? It was crap. And after you left? It was crapper."

I look down to avoid his burning gaze. "How are you even here?"

"It's an Eolas trick I heard of once when I was living with the wild pack. I put my hand on you and I can enter your mind."

"That's crazy," I murmur.

"Not as crazy as what you're about to do. Don't go through that gate, Madeleine Smith." The way his voice cracks as he says my name makes the tears start to fall, from both my eyes and his. I can't look up to see him weeping, I can't bear it. My heart tugs towards him and I'm painfully aware of how even now, it still beats so fast only for him.

"I have to," I whisper, staring at the poppy in my hands.

"You don't. Jana will go and get help, they can still save you," Rhydian pleads. Then come the words that shatter me. "You can't leave me now, Maddy. I can't live the rest of my life like I just spent the last three years. At least I had something to look forward to. But if you leave me, I'll have nothing. I'll have _nothing_, Maddy." He grabs my cheeks and brings my face up, forcing me to look at him. "Please. You remember when you left? And I promised I'd come find you?"

I stare into his eyes, blinking back tears. "And I'm so glad you did."

"No, this isn't the end, this isn't it, Maddy, it can't be, I won't let it be," he rushes, and then before I know it I'm crushed into his arms and we're sobbing into each other's hair. I want to stay here so badly. With him, forever. But I can't.

"Rhydian, I have to leave," I breathe softly, pressing my lips to his firm, warm neck. He clutches my hands and shakes his head defiantly, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks.

"Don't you dare leave me Maddy Smith," Rhydian trembles. "You're stronger than this. You're a wolf, remember?"

But as he says those words we're suddenly ripped apart. It must be people in the real world, tearing him back to reality. I scream and try and hold on, trying to keep him gripped to me, but I can't keep my hold. He yells something, before he's tugged away from this cracked piece of life, leaving the sky so much darker.

It sounds like this.

"Wait, Maddy."

But I really don't know how long I can.

**Tthanks for reading, please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Rhydian's P.O.V.

"NO! Wait, Maddy, wait!"

I hear my own voice cry out through the blackness, but it sounds detached, far away from my body. I feel like I'm falling through a black hole, before harsh hands suddenly drag me away and I'm pushed onto the hard, thorny ground.

My eyes blink against the sunlight to see Jana and the pack healers crouched down before me. To my right is Maddy Smith, in her blood stained clothes as she lies twisted across the heather. Above me, Jana is yelling something, but for some reason I can't hear her, until suddenly everything comes into bitter focus.

"Did you just do what I think you did? You went into her mind?" she shouts incredulously.

"I…I saw her…in a field…I told her to wait," I stammer, my mind spinning circles. The pack healers have moved on from me and are bending over Maddy, plastering her wounds with leaves, forcing strange-smelling liquids into her mouth. I remember the words she'd just told me. She'd said she had to leave. But…she can't. I can't let her…

Before I know it I turn around and am violently sick onto the heather-I'm trembling beyond control, even though it's not cold. It's then that I realise I'm sobbing too, sobbing so hard the tears choke my throat. I haven't sobbed so much since I left my first foster parents when I was seven and was sent to an orphanage.

"I've never seen anyone do that before," Jana murmurs. Then "You must love her so much," she says under her breath.

"She has to hold on," I stutter, to the air, to the healers, to myself. "She has to sit in that field and _wait."_

But looking down at the broken body of the girl I love, I'm really not sure she will.

"MADDY!"

I turn to see the anguished faces of Daniel and Emma Smith as they run through the forest to meet their daughter. They look exactly the same as they did three years ago, if not for the dirt and the wild worry in their eyes. Emma stares at Maddy's body with eyes narrowed into gold.

But Daniel looks at me.

"Rhydian," he says slowly as he approaches to crouch before me. "What happened?"

"Wolves-came to-attack Alric," I stutter, not knowing if I'm still out of breath from the fight, crying or just shock. "I'm sorry, I should've saved her-I should've-done something-"

"It's not your fault." His eyes flicker over to his daughter's limp form and I see them shadow with pain. "Who were those wolves who attacked Alric?"

I shake my head; I have no idea. Jana answers for me.

"After he was banished from our pack, he started another with a female, and they had a baby. But her family were angry that she abandoned them so they went and killed her. Then they wanted revenge on my father, too. And…" she winces and stares unhappily down at the moonlight-pale child in her arms. "They want Arianwen too, for something. Either to kill her or…I don't know. That's all my father told me before he died."

We all sit in silence, unable to think of anything to say.

"Why are you here anyway, Rhydian?" Daniel asks me. I look up and meet his gaze, those same dark chocolate eyes as his daughter's.

"I came to find Maddy. I swore I would, when she left. I swore it." I hear my own voice crack at the end and more tears stream blindly down my face. Jana's eyes fill with tears, too.

"This is all my fault," she breathes, her voice husky. "I made Maddy come with me to find my dad. I should've never been so stupid." Her face curls up and she buries it in Arianwen's neck.

"It's no-one's fault. None of us knew what was going to happen. And Maddy's _not going to die."_The belief in Daniel's voice makes us both look up again, shocked. "She's a Smith," he says simply. "She's feisty, we all know that, right?"

Somehow, the sentence makes me smile. A smile through the tears. Sunshine in the rain.

"You just have to believe that Maddy is going to make it," Daniel continues. His voice is slow, but rings with confidence. "Because honestly, what else can we do?"

I stare at him for a minute, thinking. He's right. I'm just about to speak, when Emma's voice cuts through the cacophony of sounds.

"Maddy just opened her eyes."

**Sorry. Nothing happened in this chapter!But there will be more next chapter….anyway please review!:)**


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